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Paxton's Pops
Paxton's Pops, (also known as Paxton's Christmas Pops '''in the Christmas special and '''Paxton's New Year Pops in the New Year special), is a model animated music show which is a spin-off of Paxton and the Diesels, the other show itself being a spin-off of Thomas & Friends. The show was broadcast daily on Sudrian Television between 3 November and 31 December 2019. Each show stars Paxton, with different special guests singing pop songs from the 1970's and 1980's. Production * Genre: Model animated series, music show * Created by: David Stoten * Based on: Paxton and the Diesels, Thomas & Friends, The Railway Series, Top of the Pops and other music shows * Written by: David Stoten * Directed by: Dianna Basso, David Stoten * Voices of: Steven Kynman and other voices * Theme music composer(s): C.C.S. (Series 1), Phil Lynott (Series 1 - Series 2), Paul Hardcastle (Series 3), Tony Gibber (Series 4) * Country of origin: United Kingdom * No. of seasons: 4 * No. of episodes: 37 * Producer(s): Tracy Blagdon, Micaela Winter * Running time: 5 minutes (Series 1 - Series 2), 6 or 7 minutes (Series 2 - Series 4), 10 minutes (Christmas and New Year specials) * Production company: Mattel Television * Original network: Sudrian Television * Original release: 3 November – 31 December 2019 History After Series 4 of Paxton and the Diesels ended in September 2018, there were plans to make a spin-off in the future. A spin-off called Paxton and the Diesels: Shorts would be made, and the run time would be five minutes shorter that the regular 15 minute episodes. The plan was later scrapped for unknown reasons. A year later in October 2019 however, the plan for a spin-off was revived. It was to be a music show hosted by Paxton, and hence called Paxton's Pops. The first show Paxton's Pops was first broadcast on 3 November 2019 on Sudrian Television at 7:30pm. The first song to be performed on the show was Sugar Baby Love by The Rubettes. Christmas and New Year specials and cancellation A Christmas special entitled Paxton's Christmas Pops aired on 25 December 2019. It starred Paxton and the other diesels singing a medley of six Christmas pop songs. Following this was a New Year special entitled Paxton's New Year Pops, that starred Paxton, the other diesels and Donald and Douglas, and featured a medley of 2 songs that tied in with the New Year celebrations; Auld Lang Syne by Boney M. and Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight). The New Year special was also the last ever episode of Paxton's Pops, as production is to begin on the upcoming spin-off Diesel: Impossible, which will be released in January 2020. Despite the cancellation of the show, the radio show, the magazine and the compilation albums have survived. Format The show's format is derived from that of music shows like Top of the Pops. It is hosted by Paxton as he sings different pop songs from the 1970's to the 1980's. In all of the episodes, Paxton is accompanied by special guests, including some of his fellow diesel friends from the Vicarstown Dieselworks and other engines who sing along with him in the studio set. There is a running gag at the end of every episode (except Episode 1 of Series 1 and Episode 1 of Series 2) in which during when the end credits roll, Diesel (and Diesel 10 in every tenth episode of every series except the Christmas and New Year specials, the latter special has him also joined by Max, Monty and Troublesome the truck) finds out that Paxton is hosting another episode of the show, and threatens Paxton with a plan to get out of the set, or to do something to it, though the episodes are finished before Diesel can get away with the plan. From Episode 6 of Series 1 onwards, Diesel is seen during the gags and Paxton has to biff Diesel when he threatens, except for episodes where Diesel is one of the guests alongside the other diesels as well as in Episode 3 of Series 3 where Diesel and the others sing a parody song. Diesel is only seen at the start of an episode in Episode 3 of Series 2 where he greets the viewers instead of Paxton. Diesel says that Paxton is ill, but Paxton appears a second later and tells Diesel that the stage is his. Diesel then oils away, but knocks off the cameraman, and Paxton then continues his normal role. Cast * Steven Kynman as Paxton, Dart, Dennis (UK/US) and Charlie (UK; singing voice, US; speaking voice) * Kerry Shale as Diesel, the Cameraman (One-off voice role) (UK/US), Dash, Kevin, Max and Gordon (US) * Shane Jacobson as Shane (UK/US) * Nigel Pilkington as Percy and Trevor (UK) * Christopher Ragland as Percy and Trevor (US) * Rob Rackstraw as Hugo, Douglas, Kelly and James (UK/US), Stanley and Monty (US) * Bob Golding as Ferdinand (UK) and Sidney (UK/US) * Glenn Wrage as Ferdinand and Spencer (US) * Dan Li as Yong Bao (UK/US) * Togo Igawa as Hiro (UK/US) * Joe Mills as Donald (UK/US) * Keith Wickham as Norman, Den, Salty, Captain (UK/US), Dash, Gordon and Whiff (UK) * Matt Wilkinson as Diesel 10, Happy Hook (UK/US), Charlie (UK; speaking voice), Stanley, Bash, Kevin and Spencer (UK) * Tom Stourton as Murdoch (UK/US) * Rasmus Hardiker as Philip, Billy, Troublesome the Truck (UK/US) and Monty (UK) * John Hasler as Thomas (UK) * Joseph May as Thomas (US) * William Hope as Bash and Whiff (US) * Rachael Miller as Rebecca (UK/US) * Teresa Gallagher as Molly, Pip, Emma and Belle (UK/US) * Peter Andre as Ace (UK/US) * Michael Legge as Luke (UK/US) * Tim Whitnall as Max (UK) * Clive Mantle as Gator (UK/US) Episodes The following sections below have a list of episodes of Paxton's Pops. There are currently four seasons with a total of 37 episodes, and the following list shows all the following songs that are sung by Paxton on them and the following special guests singing along. From Series 3 to Series 4, there were different themes to the studio set in some episodes relating to the song that is sung. On the Series 3 episode list, some episodes also show the set theme. In addition to the episodes on the list. A Christmas special of the show under the title of Paxton's Christmas Pops was broadcast. Following the Christmas special, a New Year special entitled Paxton's New Year Pops was made. This special is the last ever episode of Series 4 and the last in the entire series. The reason of that is so that production can begin on the new Paxton and the Diesels spin-off Diesel: Impossible. The radio series will still carry on airing on Sudrian Radio after the TV series finishes. Series 1 * Episode 1: (song: Sugar Baby Love - The Rubettes) (special guest: Diesel) * Episode 2: (song: Down Under - Men at Work) (special guest: Shane) * Episode 3: (song: Brown Girl in the Ring - Boney M.) (special guests: Dart and Dennis) * Episode 4: (song: Does Your Mother Know - ABBA) (special guest: Percy) * Episode 5: (song: Bang Bang - B. A. Robertson) (special guest: Hugo) * Episode 6: (song: The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats) (special guest: Ferdinand) * Episode 7: (song: Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung) (special guest: Yong Bao) * Episode 8: (song: Turning Japanese - The Vapors) (special guest: Hiro) * Episode 9: (song: January - Pilot) (special guests: Donald and Douglas) * Episode 10 (Series 1 finale): (song: Pop Muzik - M) (special guest: Norman) Series 2 * Episode 1 (Party Special): (song: I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers) (special guests: Murdoch, Diesel, Sidney, Norman, Den, Dart, Dennis, Salty and Philip) * Episode 2: (song: House of Fun - Madness) (special guest: Charlie) * Episode 3: (song: Locomotion - Kylie Minogue) (special guest: Thomas) * Episode 4: (song: It Ain't What You Do.... - Fun Boy Three and Bananarama) (special guest: Billy) * Episode 5: (song: Temptation - Heaven 17) (special guest: Stanley) * Episode 6: (song: Too Much Too Young - The Specials) (special guest: Sidney) * Episode 7: (song: Toast - Streetband) (special guests: Bash and Dash) * Episode 8: (song: You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties - Jona Lewie) (special guest: Rebecca) * Episode 9: (song: Dancing Queen - ABBA) (special guest: Molly) * Episode 10 (Series 2 finale): (song: Spirit in the Sky - Doctor and the Medics) (special guests: Den, Diesel, Sidney, Dennis, Salty and Philip) Series 3 * Episode 1: (song: Driving in My Car - Madness) (special guest: Ace) (studio set theme: Town theme) * Episode 2: (song: Orinoco Flow - Enya) (special guests: Salty and Luke) (studio set theme: Sea theme) * Episode 3: (song: Sailing - Rod Stewart) (special guest: Captain) (studio set theme: Sea theme) * Episode 4: (song: Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles) (special guest: Kevin) (studio set theme: VHS theme) * Episode 5: (song: Our House - Madness) (special guests: Kelly, Max and Monty) (studio set theme: Town theme) * Episode 6: (song: Animal - Def Leppard) (special guest: Gator) * Episode 7: (song: Medley: So Long / Arrival - ABBA) (special guests: Pip, Emma, Den, Dart, Norman, Diesel, Sidney, Dennis, Salty, Philip and Happy Hook) (studio set theme: Virgin Trains / Avanti West Coast theme) * Episode 8: (song: Give It Up - KC and the Sunshine Band) (special guest: Gordon) * Episode 9: (song: Footloose - Kenny Loggins) (special guests: Bash, Dash and Ferdinand) (studio set theme: Jobi Wood theme) * Episode 10 (Series 3 finale): (song: Medley: Dancing Queen / Does Your Mother Know - ABBA, House of Fun / Our House - Madness) (special guests: Den, Dart, Norman, Diesel, Sidney, Dennis, Salty and Philip) (studio set theme: Christmas theme) Series 4 * Episode 1: (song: The Combine Harvester - The Wurzels) (special guest: Trevor) (studio set theme: Hay bale theme) * Episode 2: (song: Kids in America - Kim Wilde) (special guest: Belle) (studio set theme: Town theme) * Episode 3: (song: Tainted Love - Soft Cell) (special guest: Whiff) (studio set theme: Garbage theme) * Episode 4: (song: Only You - The Flying Pickets) (special guest: James) * Episode 5: (song: Radio Ga Ga - Queen) (special guest: Spencer) * Episode 6 (Christmas Special): (song: Medley: Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade / Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord - Boney M. / Last Christmas - Wham! / Christmas Time (Is Here Again) - The Beatles / Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid) * Episode 7 (New Year Special; entire series finale): (song: Auld Lang Syne - Boney M. / Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) - ABBA) (special guests: Donald, Douglas, Sidney, Norman, Den, Dart, Dennis, Salty, Philip, Pip, Emma and Hugo) Theme music The theme music of Paxton's Pops is mainly theme songs that were originally from Top of the Pops. From Episodes 1 to 8 of Series 1, the theme song was the C.C.S. (Collective Consciousness Society) cover of the Led Zeppelin song Whole Lotta Love, which was used originally on TOTP from 1970 to 1977, and again from 1980 to 1981. From Episode 8 of Series 1 until Episode 10 of Series 2, the theme song was Yellow Pearl by Phil Lynott, that was originally used on TOTP from 1981 to 1986. The theme music for Series 3 is The Wizard by Paul Hardcastle, that was used on TOTP from 1986 to 1991. The theme music changed for Series 4, and is Now Get Out of That by Tony Gibber, which was used on TOTP from 1991 to 1995. The Christmas and New Year specials used a remixed version of the same tune that was used on TOTP from 2003 until 2006. Broadcast The show was only broadcast on the Island of Sodor on its local television channel Sudrian Television. It was broadcast daily at 7:30pm. Radio series * Genre: Music * Running time: 10 minutes * Country of origin: Sodor * Language(s): English * Home station: Sudrian Radio * Hosted by: Paxton * Original release: 9 November 2019 – present A radio series of Paxton's Pops is also broadcast. It is broadcast every Saturday evening at 6:00pm on Sudrian Radio, Sodor's local radio station. Unlike the main TV series, the radio show has Paxton and the special guests singing different songs. Merchandise A Paxton's Pops magazine was launched in December 2019. Each issue is published monthly, and features episode guides, quizzes, lyrics from each song on the show and posters. A compilation album named Paxton's Pops: Volume 1 was launched in that month, featuring all the songs on Series 1, followed by another one in January 2020 with songs from Series 2, with volumes with songs from Series 3 and 4 respectively being released in February and March respectively, despite the axing of the TV show. Trivia * Paxton and Diesel are the only two characters to appear in every episode of Paxton's Pops. * Series 3, Episode 7 marks the first appearance of Happy Hook in the whole Paxton franchise since Series 4 of Paxton and the Diesels. It also marks the first time that Paxton and the special guest sings a medley of songs from the same artist, and the first time that the special guest is a Railway Series-exclusive character. Series 3, Episode 10 also marks the first time a medley is sung with songs sung on Paxton's Pops in the past. In this case, songs from ABBA and Madness are on this medley, as they are both the popular artists featured on the show. * Also, Series 3, Episode 9 marks the first time that the show has guests returning to the show after an episode, excluding the other diesels, Bash, Dash and Ferdinand in this case. * Although the Christmas special of Paxton's Pops has a Christmas theme to the studio set, episodes throughout the run-up to Christmas have also been featuring them, starting from Series 3, Episode 10. The decorations were gone in the New Year special, and had party decorations instead. * Paxton's Pops is the only show in the Thomas & Friends and Paxton franchises to air on Sudrian Television, whereas both Thomas & Friends and Paxton and the Diesels air on Channel 5's Milkshake! programming block and Cartoonito in the UK and Nick Jr. in the US. * A reference to the Thomas & Friends episode Off the Rails is made in Series 4, Episode 4, at the end, when Diesel derails and James sings Silly Old Diesel Fell in a Ditch, which is a parody of Silly Old Gordon Fell in a Ditch. * The end of the Christmas and New Year specials foreshadows Diesel: Impossible, in the scenes where Thomas, in secret agent form, stops Diesel and Diesel 10's plans to wreck the studio set, though in the New Year special, Diesel 10 knocks off the logo. Category:Thomas & Friends spin-offs